Passion Play
by Jessica Simpson-Bourget
Summary: The missing final scene from Power Play- Sam and Diane consummate. Again, this is rated M for a reason. I try to imbue my M-rated material with some substance and heart, but it is still a whole lotta smutty smut, so... forewarned. Oh, and remember, it's 1983. Comments are always appreciated!


He re-entered the room and caught his breath. There on the ruffled coverlet, bathed in the pinkish glow from her dainty bedside lamp sat Diane, her long legs folded to one side of her, graceful and fawnlike. Yes, it was for the best that the stuffed animals were out the window, because as innocent as she looked, it might have been disconcerting. He'd deal with the fallout later.

Her room smelled faintly of lilacs, and that, in combination with the sight of her, was a heady brew. She raised her eyes to meet his, a shy smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Sliding her hand over the bed in invitation, the thin satin strap from her pink nightie slipped over her shoulder, and Sam's heart beat double time. He felt himself stiffen against his jeans.

He stood there for a moment, taking her in, unable to fully believe his eyes or his luck. It occurred to him that he'd never been so in awe of a woman in his life. Sure, he'd had more than his fair share of conquests. Women had always come easy for him, but this was _Diane_. Diane Chambers, the elusive and ultimate temptation— beautiful, brilliant, maddening, a perfect angel, yet bubbling beneath the surface with so much untapped, raw sexuality— so close but always just out of reach.

He'd ached for her from the moment she stepped into Cheers. He'd been close enough to her to know the power of the current that crackled between them, and was driven to distraction by its ebb and flow. There was more than a mere flirtation between them. The stakes felt far higher, and though their banter was always fast and sharp and rife with innuendo, the sexual tension was loaded with something more— a veiled promise or was it a threat? He knew if he chased that current, he'd be a goner, for better or for worse, but he persisted. Was it masochism or a hunch? He wasn't entirely sure, but at the end of every one of her shifts, he'd hoped that this would be the night she'd invite him home with her.

The wait was crazy-making, but down deep, he knew this day would come. The current demanded it, even if at times he wasn't sure he deserved it. Yet as often as he'd fantasized about just this scenario, not one of his fantasies could compare to what he was feeling right now, right here with her in the flesh. There she sat, barely dressed, waiting in her bed for him. It was almost too much. Almost.

After all, he was Sammy, and she was a woman. He knew he had what it took to please her in bed. But would it be enough? This couldn't be just another lay. He couldn't let it be, not when he felt so much more. She really _might_ be the one who could make him happy for the rest of his life. The idea of blowing it terrified him, but he had to take that risk. Besides, look at her, for crying out loud.

She smiled as if reading his thoughts and gave him a long, meaningful look. This meant as much to her as it did to him, and she felt as though she were cresting the hill of a rollercoaster, butterflies fluttering wildly in her chest. "This is it," she thought. All those secret, furtive nights she'd lain alone in that very bed imagining what it would be like to have him there, the very idea of his hands on her propelling her to her own release… it was finally, _finally_ going to be reality. She wanted to laugh with the joy of it all. Delayed gratification did indeed have certain rewards.

A small part of her worried whether or not she'd be able to satisfy him. After all, he'd been with four hundred women—what could she possibly offer him in bed that was special? She was no virgin by any means. She'd always believed in the importance of the physical component in assessing the potential of any relationship. She was open to such connections, exploring them eagerly, learning not just about her partner, but herself in the process. Sex was not merely a physical act, but a psychological and spiritual exercise, and she treasured the strength and knowledge she gained from every experience. She was insatiable in that regard, which made her physical distance from Sam all the more confounding.

She was overcome with desire for him the moment she saw him. Of course, at the time, she was on her way to marry Sumner, but that didn't slow her libido one iota. She could have had her way with him that very night if she'd allowed herself, but her instinct was to hold out for more. There was something about this baseball player-slash-bartender that intrigued her.

The feelings he inspired were nothing like any she'd ever experienced. Not with Sumner, certainly not with Derek or anyone else. It made her think there might be something more to this life that she'd yet to understand—perhaps _beyond_ understanding— and the possibility thrilled her. She wanted to study him and their connection. To nurture it and watch it grow, to see where it took her, and she feared a dalliance would disrupt that fulfillment. More than that, she was afraid she'd lose him if she acquiesced too quickly. One had to tread carefully with a man of Sam Malone's appetites.

As frustrating as he was, the more she knew him, the more she wanted him, and her feelings grew until she could finally admit—to herself, if not to him—that she was full-on, head-over-heels crazy about the guy. This was never a merely academic quest. It was a calling. Which at long last brought her to this point. And there he stood at the foot of her bed, a twinkle in his eyes above a besotted grin as he finally moved toward her.

Sam approached the bed slowly, as though he didn't want to spook her. He sat down on the edge, facing her. The proximity made him impetuous though, and he could not resist her another second. He could never play it cool with her. One hand behind her neck, he pulled her in for a long, heated kiss. Diane rose to her knees atop the bed to get closer. Her fingers tangled in his hair as their tongues explored each other's mouths with a powerful hunger. Breathless, she broke the kiss for a moment and gestured to the lamp.

"Should I…"

"No," Sam answered, his voice low and soft, "Leave it on. I want to see you."

He ran his hand over her bare shoulder and Diane felt a frisson of electricity shoot down her spine. She leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

"What do you want to see, Sam? Tell me," she teased.

Sam felt every hair on his body stand on end at the sound of her voice, the feeling of her breath on him. Just when he felt he could lose all control, he took it back. He looked straight into her eyes, leveling her with his intensity.

"I want to see all of you. I want to look at you… I want to touch you and taste you. I want you, Diane. I want you _now_."

Diane's heart raced. She was filled with raw need for him, and the desire to give him everything he wanted and more. She gripped the bottom of her nightie and slowly began to raise it. Sam's breath hitched at the sight of her delicate pink panties. She pulled it over her head and shook her hair free. It fell loosely around her neck and she ran her hands through her thick golden mane as Sam savored the sight of her naked torso. Her flesh was pale, dotted lightly with little beauty marks here and there. Her breasts were small but perfect, and her petite areolas were a mouth-watering pink. His mind reeled. She was hotter than he'd ever imagined. He simultaneously wanted to put her on a pedestal and devour her whole.

"God, you're beautiful…" he mused quietly.

Instinctively, he reached out and placed his hand on her firm tummy, then slid it over her left breast, his fingertips lingering over her nipple, which was hard as a diamond. Diane let out a little gasp in response. Incensed, he moved closer and let both hands discover the wonder that was Diane Chambers' flesh laid bare. His hands ran over her back, pulling her to him as he covered her neck with kisses. His lips burned a path across her chest and laid claim to her breasts. He lavished them with wet, hot kisses, capturing a nipple in his mouth and rolling it around on his tongue. Diane's eyes closed and her head fell back in contentment as he suckled, worshipping her breasts with his mouth and his hands. Sam relished the smell and taste of her skin, so warm and soft under his touch.

Increasingly aroused, Diane began to clutch at Sam's clothing, pulling his baby blue rugby shirt over his head. She ran her hands across his lean, athletic chest, raking her fingers through the hair that covered it. He was all man, and she was eager to discover every inch of his manhood. She placed warm, fervent kisses all over his torso, flicking her tongue against his nipples, and began tugging at his belt buckle. He was all too happy to assist, and stood next to the bed to divest himself of his pants. Diane was now thrilled by the idea of pantsless Sam, and could not imagine why she'd thrown him out earlier in the same state of undress.

Watching his jeans fall to the floor, she admired his lanky yet fit build as he stood before her, his boxer shorts low on his waist, his erection tenting the navy blue cotton. She looked up at him coquettishly as she ran her index fingers around the waistband, easing it slowly over his hips until his cock sprang free. Diane was wide-eyed at the revelation of his impressive length and girth. Now she understood why he had such a rabid following among the female population. He was more than well-endowed, and she thrilled at the prospect of what was to come.

"Mr. Malone, you are a man of many surprises…" she grinned, taking him in hand.

Thoughtfully, she began to stroke up and down his engorged shaft, watching the head grow thick with blood. She ran her thumb over the cleft and marveled at its contours. Unable to resist, she leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on it. Then a deeper one. Then she took the tip between her full, pink lips, eliciting a groan from Sam. She swirled her tongue over him again and again, holding him firmly in place while one hand worked his length and the other massaged his balls. She wanted to consume him, every inch of him, and took him deeper and deeper into her hot mouth, bobbing up and down on him like a piston as her talented tongue kept the pressure on.

"Oh, Godddd… Diane... God…"

Sam could do nothing but moan with the pleasure she was giving him. She had full control. His mind was blown. He couldn't believe that Diane was giving him head and that she was so damn good at it. No one as beautiful and smart as her should also be this good at a blowjob. He brushed her hair away from her face so he could watch her in action and almost came right then and there. Diane Chambers was going down on him. Again, it was almost too much. Almost.

Not wanting to lose himself just yet, he took hold of her shoulders and nudged her gently backward onto the bed.

"My turn, sweetheart. Please… let me."

Diane reclined on her decorative pillows, and Sam ran his hands over her endlessly long legs. Even now that he'd finally got a good look at them, he still couldn't quite take them all in. He stopped at her hips and hooked his thumbs in her silk panties, easing them off of her with practiced skill. He placed his hands on the insides of her knees and then slid them upward, parting her lithe thighs. He kissed them reverently, sending a rush of blood to her most intimate areas. He caressed her lightly with his fingertips, causing Diane to marvel at his tenderness. She never could have imagined his ability to slow down and savor a moment with almost tantric singularity as he was now. She could feel his every breath on her, and it was driving her mad with desire for him.

She felt his fingers reach her warm, wet sex. He ran two fingers over her entrance, sliding them up and down contemplatively, as if trying to decide where he ought to begin with such a delicacy. She smelled so good too. He parted her outer folds to reveal her ripe and swollen clit, running his fingers up and down either side, then tracing small circles over it with his thumb. Sighing in contentment, he lapped lightly at it, sending Diane's body into an upward convulsion. He wrapped his arms around her thighs to hold her in place and continued his ministrations. His tongue glided up and down the length of her, always returning home to her receptive little clit, sucking at it with long wet kisses, coaxing and teasing as Diane writhed in ecstasy above him.

"Sam… Sammmmmm… ohhhhh Godddd… mmmmm…"

Her moans were music to his ears, and about the sexiest thing he'd ever heard in his life. He inserted his fore and middle fingers slowly, ever so slowly sliding them in and out as he felt her tighten around him. She gasped and reflexively began moving her pelvis, grinding every ounce of pleasure she could from his digits.

"Mmmmm… so sweet…" he murmured against her. The vibrations of his words on her flesh only heightened her arousal as she strained against his grip, pushing her hips upward toward his mouth, wanting more, more. She was stunned by his oral prowess and knew she was spoiled for any other man that might follow. Bearing down on her, Sam plumbed her depths with his tongue, slurping at her inner labia, now purpled with pleasure, before taking her clit fully into his mouth and pulsing his tongue against it while gently sucking, his lips hot and soft yet firm against her. Diane felt a rush of adrenaline begin to course through her body. The warmth spread through her, culminating in her throbbing clit, and crying out loudly, she thrust and bucked against Sam, who held her fast, his mouth gently cradling her until the little aftershocks subsided. Still panting, she was now aching for more.

"Sam… I need you… I need you inside me… now… please…" she whimpered.

"Oh God, I need you too sweetheart. Before we go any further though, I gotta ask... is everything taken care of? I mean, I'm prepared either way, but..." He needed to be sure. He wanted to do this right.

"You mean, am I on the pill? Yes, of course," she smiled. "I take care of myself, but it's very responsible of you to ask. Now, please... I want you."

Sam needed no further encouragement. His erection was rock hard, and his balls were rigid with anticipation. Watching her ride that orgasm almost sent him over the edge, but he wanted more. He needed more. He wanted to make love to Diane in every sense of the word, he wanted to penetrate her, to make that connection he'd longed for since she walked into Cheers a year ago. Taking himself in hand, he guided himself to her entrance and gently began to slide himself inside of her. Watching her face closely, inch by inch he eased himself betwixt her silken walls. She was incredibly wet, but also incredibly tight, and part of him feared he might hurt her. He felt her tense and then relax with each inward movement, and when he felt she was ready, he thrust himself deep within her, eliciting a cry of surprise. Sam stopped immediately and looked in her eyes for permission to continue.

"Are you okay?" he asked with genuine concern.

An instant of pain dissolved into a flood of pleasure as she stretched around him. She'd never had a man like Sam before, and she wanted more. She nodded, at first speechless.

"Mmmm… yes. Yes, Sam. Please… more."

That was all the permission he needed.

Sam began to move in and out of her with languid, deep strokes, wanting to savor every second inside of her. She felt so damn good, he didn't want this to ever end. It was like she was made for him. Being inside of her was like coming home. He watched her undulate beneath him and knew she felt the same way. Her flaxen hair pooled around her face, she'd have looked almost angelic were it not for the thoroughly sinful expression she wore. Their mutual pleasure sent them both into a trance-like state, where all they could do was relish the unparalleled ecstasy they found in their physical union. They moved in perfect synchronicity, every pulse heightening not just their own, but the other's rapture. Wanting and getting and giving more and more every second, their sexual reverie spun into a frantic storm of need and gratification crashing relentlessly over them.

Each carried away by the alchemy of their bodies together, they grasped and clutched at each other, hands and mouths seeking purchase in the physical and emotional tumult, and finally finding it in each other's faces. Sam's steely grey blue eyes softened as they met Diane's. She reached up to caress his cheek and he thought he would weep with the joy that welled up inside of him. With slow and deliberate strokes, he fixed his gaze on her, making deep, passionate love to her with an intensity he'd never known before. Diane moved in tandem, smiling in perfect bliss, knowing she'd found what she'd longed for for so very long. Seeing her, feeling her, knowing her like this sent Sam crashing over the edge of a roaring orgasm that rocked his entire body. He cried out her name over and over again, like a prayer.

Diane's heart swelled at the sound of her name on his lips. She knew right then and there that she would love Sam Malone forever. Sam knew that come what may, she was the only woman he would ever love. Maybe someday he'd tell her that.

Breathless, they collapsed in bed, shellshocked and trembling.

"Wow," they exhaled simultaneously, still amazed by what had just transpired. What they together had unleashed.

"Sweetheart... that was...," Sam began in wonderment. But he couldn't look at her. He was overwhelmed.

"I know," she laughed, her eyes dancing.

She reached over to touch his cheek, wanting to sustain the connection, and turned his face toward her own.

"Look at me," she continued, her voice warm with sincerity. "I _know_."

The happiness in their eyes made further words unnecessary, for which Sam was grateful. He had no idea what he could say that would come close to expressing his feelings at that moment, and to be honest, he was afraid to try. He was struck by an unprecedented feeling of vulnerability. _He loved Diane Chambers._ If he didn't know it when she first walked into his bar, he knew it now, and he was as scared as he was thrilled. Diane rested her hand on his chest, and could feel his heart's steady thrum thrum thrum, buoyed by the undercurrent of his deep breathing. It was perfect peace, this moment, this connection, and the world never felt so right. They gazed at each other in blissful, comfortable silence until she drifted off to sleep. He was as exhausted as she was, but wanted to stay awake to watch her rest. He knew he had one more thing to do before he could allow himself that luxury, though.

With the stealth of a ninja, Sam slipped out of bed, quietly dressed, put on his shoes and headed for the door. In the cool, dark Boston night, he retrieved each and every last one of Diane's special friends from the sidewalk, trees and fire escape below her window. Laughing at himself as he imagined what the guys at the bar would think, he brushed them off and carefully returned each to a place of honor on her sofa, with Mr. Jammers well away from Gary Gorilla. They were a part of her, and because they were, he loved them too.

He turned off the light on the table and slipped back into bed, fulfilling the call of the current to be close to her and never let her go. Watching her chest rise and fall by the silvery moonlight that streamed in through the window, he thought he'd never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He pushed a golden lock of hair away from her face and studied her long into the night. It was almost too much. Almost. Without warning, he found himself whispering the words he was too afraid to speak when she was awake.

"I love you, Diane."

* * *

_Thank you for reading. FYI, this will be my last M-rated story for Cheers. Reviews are the heart's blood of a fanfic author, and it seems that despite being exponentially my most highly-trafficked work by far with even more repeat views, they are consistently my least reviewed stories. That tells me that while there is a huge audience for this material that thinks enough of it to re-read it often, there is not enough actual support for me to stay inspired. While I've always enjoyed writing it, it is far more work to write decent smut than you might imagine, so it has simply become not worth it to continue in this vein. Not trying to guilt anyone into reviewing, just letting that silent M-reading audience know what's up, so that they understand my decision and can maybe do better by other authors. Thanks again for reading and to those of you that actually reviewed any one of my M stories, many more thanks._


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